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Photo thanks to Aquasaur gold pair
Name:
Scientific name: Trichopodus trichopterus
Common name: Three spot gourami
AKA: Blue gourami/ Cosby gourami/ Gold gourami/ Golden Gourami / Labrus trichopterus/ Opaline gourami/ Trichogaster trichopterus
Country of origin: South-East Asia Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, Vietnam, Yunnan
pH: 5.5 8.5
Temperature: 24 - 28c (can tolerate 22 30c at the outside)
Hardness: 3 35 dGH
Water flow: low - standard
Oxygenation: standard
Maximum size: 15cm
12.5cm is more common in aquariums.
Diet: They eat live, frozen & sinking pellet foods they are omnivores. They should be given algae pellets along with protein based foods. They are generally not fussy eaters.
They have been known to eat hydra, eradicating an infestation, and also eat snails.
Breeding:
Males: anal & dorsal fin are pointed, streamlined & larger
Females: anal & dorsal fins are rounded, rounder body & smaller
The male builds a bubble nest. As they spawn they display the typical gourami wrestling. Both parents should be removed after spawning they will predate on the eggs & fry. The female should beremoved immediately spawning, the male shortly after. They are best bred with 3:1 females:males, and cover for the females, as the males can be very persistant.
They are relatively easy to breed.
Lifespan: 5 8 years
Tank companions:
They are NOT good tank companions with shrimp.
They should only have 1 male to a tank, unless its a very large (6ft+) tank, with a lot of visual breaks, in which case, you may get away with 2 males. They can be kept with a group of females, or in groups of 6+ to spread the aggression.
They are a more robust gourami species, and can be kept with more boisterous species. The males in particular have a nasty habit of fin-nipping fish with trailing fins (e.g. guppies, betta splendens), so should not be housed with these species.
As with any fish they will eat any fish small enough to fit in their mouths, and equally can be eaten by any fish large enough to eat them. This should be taken into account when choosing tankmates.
Stocking plans can be checked with aqadvisor.com
Tank:
Minimum tanks size is 3 ft for a group.
They could be kept in a heavily planted tank with floating plants, open areas for swimming, and tannins from driftwood and Indian Almond Leaves.
It needs tightly fitted lids, both to create humid air to breathe, and to prevent jumping from the tank.
Confused with:
There are colour variants:
Blue gourami/ Three spot gourami a blue body with 2 dark blue spots on its midline. (The eye is the 3rd spot). The spots fade with age. This is the original wild form.
Gold gourami/ Golden Gourami golden yellow, can have darker bars along the dorsal line
Opaline gourami/ Cosby gourami blue body with grey bands they can fade with stress
Opal light blue body, very little dark blue
Marbled
Silver
Platinum
Lavender
These colour variants are all of the same species, and can interbreed, so defining the pattern is easier for some individuals than other.
Many of the names used for this fish, particularly for the colour variants, are the same common names used for C. lalia (dwarf gourami) & T. chuna (honey gourami).
Most of these fish in the aquarium trade are commercially bred.
Many have health issues, including iridovirus, which is invariably fatal, so they (in particular) should be quarantined before being added to the tank.
They can rapidly change colour.
It has a labyrinth organ, so can breathe air to an extent.
They have been used as a food source for people in Indonesia.
They have been introduced as a feral fish into a number of countries around the world (but not in Australia at this time).
Trichogaster trichopterus (synonym) are legal imports to Australia as of 31/10/2013 (list last updated 16/10/13):
http://www.environment.gov.au/system...mport-list.pdf
The IUCN Red List reports Trichopodus trichopterus as a species of least concern, with a stable population trend at 29/10/2013:
http://www.iucnredlist.org/search
It is very important not to release any aquarium specimens into our waterways. Any that are not sold or re-homed/ given away, can often be re-sold to aquarium stores. If they are homed in ponds, care should be taken that they cannot escape in run-off into our waterways. Even if fish are native & local they should not be moved from one waterway to another, as this can transfer disease. If they are not local fish, they can both spread disease and either out-compete or eat local fish, shrimp & plants, causing their demise.
They are good fish for beginners.
Relevant threads:
Tankmates & pics of planted tank:
http://www.aquariumlife.com.au/showt...r+trichopterus
With a mixed group of gouramis Bolsys 4ft:
http://www.aquariumlife.com.au/showt...hlight=gourami
Mixed group of gouramis & tankmates stiny:
http://www.aquariumlife.com.au/showt...hlight=gourami
Tankmates with Samurai gourami:
http://www.aquariumlife.com.au/showt...hlight=gourami
Tankmates with Dwarf gourami - Jazzy:
http://www.aquariumlife.com.au/showt...hlight=gourami
Species of gourami to shoal:
http://www.aquariumlife.com.au/showt...hlight=gourami
Gourami with shrimp:
http://www.aquariumlife.com.au/showt...hlight=gourami
Pearl gourami eating snails:
http://www.aquariumlife.com.au/showt...hlight=gourami
Breeding gouramis:
http://www.aquariumlife.com.au/showt...ighlight=honey
http://www.aquariumlife.com.au/showt...hlight=gourami
Breeding pearl gouramis:
http://www.aquariumlife.com.au/showt...hlight=gourami
Courting vs aggressive behaviour descriptions, with link to video:
http://www.aquariumlife.com.au/showt...hlight=gourami
Sexing gouramis particularly chocolates unissuh:
http://www.aquariumlife.com.au/showt...hlight=gourami
1 male per tank & iridovirus:
http://www.aquariumlife.com.au/showt...ighlight=honey
http://www.aquariumlife.com.au/showt...ighlight=honey
Feeding chocolate gourami:
http://www.aquariumlife.com.au/showt...hlight=gourami
Pink giant gourami info:
http://www.aquariumlife.com.au/showt...hlight=gourami
http://www.aquariumlife.com.au/showt...hlight=gourami
Giant gourami diet & tank size:
http://www.aquariumlife.com.au/showt...hlight=gourami
http://www.aquariumlife.com.au/showt...hlight=gourami
Various types of Trichogaster trichopterus - three spot/gold/blue/opaline gourami:
http://www.aquariumlife.com.au/showt...hlight=gourami
Liquorice gouramis:
http://www.aquariumlife.com.au/showt...hlight=gourami
Gouramis for small tank:
http://www.aquariumlife.com.au/showt...hlight=gourami
References:
Fishbase:
http://www.fishbase.org/summary/Tric...chopterus.html
Seriously fish:
http://www.seriouslyfish.com/species...-trichopterus/
tfh magazine:
http://www.tfhmagazine.com/details/f...ichopterus.htm
Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_spot_gourami
Pics & threads with pics:
Photo thanks to alteclansing gold gourami
Photo thanks to OhSoFishy gold gourami
Photo thanks to spyder882006
DE
3/11/2013